Taxi Driver Online

Disabled people illegally charged up to 'double fare' to use taxis in Middlesbrough


Taxi drivers and firms warned crackdown is to take place after Middlesbrough Council investigated a string of complaints by wheelchair users

Disabled people are illegally being charged over the odds to use taxis in Middlesbrough.

Wheelchair users are being forced to pay up to double the correct fare to ride in private hire taxis and Hackney carriages.

And the overcharging is happening even though vehicles are wheelchair-accessible.

In some cases wheelchair users are being charged up to twice the price set for able-bodied users.

Taxi drivers and firms have now been warned a crackdown is to take place into the overcharging.

The rip-off emerged after a Middlesbrough Council investigated a string of complaints by wheelchair users.

A report by the council’s principal licensing officer Tim Hodkingson revealed details of the “widespread” practice.

He said: “As a result of customer complaints and comment, it has come to the attention of the licensing team that wheelchair users are being charged up to twice the price of their able-bodied counterparts as a direct consequence of their disability.

“Suspicions regarding the widespread nature of this practice were heightened by a similar incident in Hull which has been publicised in the trade and general press.

“In this case it was reported that the disabled passenger had been charged a £10 premium in addition to the standard fare.”

Mr Hodgkinson said the council was satisfied that hiking charges for disabled people breached UK equality laws.

Letters warning against the practice have now been sent to all private hire operators and Hackney Carriage drivers. The letters say complaints have been received over both private hire firms and Hackney Carriage operators taking private hire bookings.

No specific firms were named in the report.

The letter warns that any future evidence of overcharging may lead to formal action including prosecution and/or referral to the council’s licensing committee. Mr Hodgkinson’s report added: “Clearly it is hoped that the provision of clear information and guidance will prevent any future breaches of the legislation. However to provide further assurance that this will be the case, measures will be put in place to test compliance in the coming months.

“If problems are detected at this stage then it is likely that a more formal approach will be adopted which may include operators being referred to the licensing committee for a review of their private hire operator’s licence.”

The report is due to be discussed at a meeting of the council’s licensing committee next Monday.

source: http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teess ... up-6453128

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Headline should be changed....


Disabled people find it impossible to get a taxi thanks to Middlesbrough Taxi licensing.

People who are housebound cannot simply go to the nearest main street to flag a taxi, but now find it impossible to book one thanks to the LAW.
Private hire companies have no legal duty to provide wheelchair accessible vehicles in the town, and are now refusing to take any wheelchair bookings because of this crazy law, indeed its only the poor wheelchair users that are suffering, now unable to order a WAV.

Don't hacks have phone numbers that folk can call, they do in Scotland

er, if housebound they wont be out will they?...

and dont most qualify for their own WAV on Motability?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Yes we have some WAV hacks and yes a small number do actually do some wheelchair work, none will travel 5-6 miles to the outskirts of town to do a wheelchair thats maybe only going to the customers local doctors, say a mile away for a flag of £2.80 fare. Seems only way these people can get to their doctors is to get someone to bus into town, flag a wav hack, then travel back home in it, load wheelchair then go to wherever.

Well thats the reason they need a WAV.

Do taxis not do radio work there then?

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IDFIMH

Yes of course they do, but we have had letters stating that any TAXI doing radio work, can only charge meter price, I don't know of any that will travel miles to do a wheelchair job for £2.80. So forcing PH companies to simply refuse any wheelchair jobs. And thats what they are all doing.

It's called market forces. No-one round here can get a WAV, there's no WAV-hack on the Romney Marsh, and no-one seems prepared to invest in a p/h WAV. "Normal" people don't seem to want to travel in a WAV. It's not discrimination, it's choice.

At present in our town there are 3 hackney WAV cars and 2 private hire WAVS. One of the hackneys is driven by a chap who NEVER clamps the wheelchair down and ALWAYS has it facing sideways. The next one is a TX2 and is driven by a lady who can't load heavy wheelchairs and the last one is a "T" reg Metrocab that has seen better days and the Council would like to see it taken off the road. I used to have a very large vehicle with a tail lift which was ideal for the job but it was hardly ever used for wheelchairs and when it was we lost money on every job. In the new policy proposals the Council say they will "encourage" taxi firms with more than 10 vehicles to have WAV vehicles available. At this time that would mean our company as we are the only one running more than 10 vehicles at the moment.
This will give us a problem because we don't think there is sufficient demand for one and they inevitably cost more to run than our usual cars. So we will have a dilemma, do we buy a vehicle and lose money? Do we buy a vehicle and just leave it in the garage? or do we split the company up so that we have less than 10 vehicles in each business?

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Grandad,

Or does the council introduce a WAV only policy?

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Former taxi driver

They have no plans for a WAV only policy at the moment and unless the LC review brings one in.

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Grandad,

I think it will be the reverse, it's just that no-one has worked that out yet.

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IDFIMH

Drivers warned they could lose their licences if they breach the Equality Act

DISABLED passengers in Middlesbrough have been charged up to twice the normal fare for taxis by some drivers, it emerged last night.

Members of Middlesbrough Council’s licensing committee heard how some drivers in the town are discriminating against wheelchair users by charging them more money than able-bodied passengers.

Some are being charged up to twice that of non-disabled passengers as a “direct consequence of their disability”, a report to the committee claimed.

Now licensing officers at Middlesbrough Council are clamping down after receiving complaints from customers.

The council has the authority to set fares in relation to Hackney Carriages but it has no control on the prices charged by private hire vehicles, which are decided by market forces.

However, private companies have to act within the Equality Act of 2010, which bans discrimination, and the council is now warning that if evidence is found then they would review private hire licences.

The council has now written to taxi and private hire businesses warning them to comply with the act. It said it would be testing “compliance” over the next few months and warned licences could be at risk if evidence of discrimination was found.

Hackney drivers and private hire operators have been warned in the letters that over-charging was a breach of the Equality Act.

source: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1 ... ttee_told/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

A councilor told me that on average 100,000 taxi journeys a week take place in Middlesbrough, in 12 month the council have received 2 complaints from wheelchair users, council decide that its time to have a massive press involved publicity campaign- its nothing at all to do with our Mayor having a huge public argument with the owner of Middlesbrough's largest PH company of course..